Facts & figures
Expert in Health Care Policy, Planning and Financing
English
Program
One of the defining challenges of the 21st century is to extend healthy life expectancy – shifting from a purely quantitative to a qualitative paradigm of health. Achieving this requires a holistic approach that integrates physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, while strengthening prevention and rehabilitation alongside treatment. Central to this mission are robust and evidence-based health policies, as well as efficient, accessible, and sustainable healthcare systems.
The Health Policy, Planning and Financing MSc programme provides an international and future-oriented training that emphasizes the role of health economics, economic evaluation, and advanced modelling techniques in shaping modern health systems. Through a transdisciplinary social science lens, the programme combines economics, health policy, public policy, finance, and statistics with key insights from sociology, epidemiology, psychology, and ethics. Students gain practical skills in quantitative and qualitative analysis, forecasting, and system optimization, preparing them to address global health challenges with innovative and data-driven solutions.
The curriculum focuses on the complex interplay of stakeholders involved in healthcare planning, financing, and delivery at local, regional, national, and global levels. Students are encouraged to critically examine how health systems can adapt to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges – from demographic shifts and digital transformation to global health crises and inequities in access.
Graduates of the programme will be equipped for diverse career opportunities across the international landscape: public health administration and regulatory bodies, global health organizations, national and private health insurers, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical and medical device industries, consulting firms, NGOs, research institutes, as well as media and policy advisory roles.
We particularly recommend this programme to those who:
wish to combine medical or social science knowledge with advanced competencies in health economics, policy analysis, and system modelling,
want to understand and navigate the complexities of global health systems,
value evidence- and quality-based approaches to system assessment, financing, and optimization,
seek to foster community engagement and include diverse stakeholders in health problem solving.
Structure
Career
Our programme equips graduates with the analytical, strategic, and interdisciplinary skills needed to address the most pressing health system challenges worldwide. With a strong foundation in health economics, policy design, system modelling, and evidence-based evaluation, students are prepared for career paths across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, as well as in international organizations.
Graduates will be ready to contribute to healthcare governance, financing, and innovation at national and global levels. They will also be competitive candidates for roles in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, health technology assessment (HTA) bodies, consulting firms, international NGOs, global health institutions, as well as universities and research centres.
Example roles include:
- Policy Advisor or Consultant in International Health Policy
- Health Economist or Analyst in a Health Technology Assessment Agency
- Market Access Manager or Strategic Planner at a Global Pharmaceutical/MedTech Company
- Data and Systems Modelling Specialist in Healthcare Financing or Planning
- Manager at an International Health Insurance or Health Fund
- Researcher or Lecturer in Health Policy, Economics, and Global Health Systems
Admissions
| EU/EEA students | Non-EU/EEA students | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition fee/semester | 1550 EUR | 3500 EUR |
| Application fee |
EUR 50 (non-refundable) between 01/10/2025-15/11/2025
EUR 100 (non-refundable) between 20/11/2025-15/01/2026
EUR 150 (non-refundable) between 20/01/2026-30/04/2026
EUR 200 (non-refundable) between 05/05/2026-31/05/2026
|
EUR 50 (non-refundable) between 01/10/2025-15/11/2025
EUR 100 (non-refundable) between 20/11/2025-15/01/2026
EUR 150 (non-refundable) between 20/01/2026-30/04/2026
EUR 200 (non-refundable) between 05/05/2026-31/05/2026
|
| Entrance exam fee | ||
| Other cost | Application fee increases from period to period | Application fee increases from period to period |
Entry requirements
Applicants must have a BA/BBA degree in any of the following fields: Social Studies, Sociology, Health Care and Disease Prevention, Nursing and Patient Care, Public Administration Manager, Health Care Management, Business Administration and Management.
If the BA degree does not meet all the necessary requirements, the applicant may be required to complete additional credits in the relevant fields during their first year of study to fulfil these requirements upon acceptance.
Language requirements
Certification of English knowledge (both written and oral): B2
• IELTS Score: 5.5
• TOEFL iBT Band: 46-59
• Cambridge English Scale Score: 162.
If the applicant is unable to prove their knowledge of English with any of the above certifications, their English knowledge will be assessed during the admission interview. Any letter of acceptance issued by the Faculty of Social Sciences is based on the verified fact that the applicant’s command of English has been assessed; therefore, they are considered eligible to pursue their studies at the institution.
If the applicant can prove that they completed their former education entirely in English by submitting a notarized attestation and a detailed academic transcript, no proof of language knowledge will be required throughout the admission process.
| Document | Comment |
| Online application form | - |
| Bachelor-level degree | Applicants must have a BA/BBA degree in the fields listed above |
| Transcript of records | - |
| Motivation letter | The general guidelines and expectations for the letter are: the applicants introducing themselves, their motivation, interests and goals with the programme. The length of the motivation letter is between 1500 and 4000 characters |
| Copy of the main pages of the passport | needs to be valid |
| Copy of application fee transfer | - |
| Language certificate | if the applicant has one (please refer to the language requirement section) |
The application starts at the online application system. Students need to register in the system, fill in the online application form, upload the required documents and follow the instructions during the application process.
Students who hold Hungarian citizenship and/or dual citizenship, must apply through felvi.hu Please note that if an application is submitted not according to the aforementioned, it will be rejected.
Entrance examination and selection process:
The application deadline refers to the final submission of the complete application package through the online application system.
For the September intake, there are four application periods:
Super Early Bird Period: 2025 October 1- 2025 November 15 (23:59 CET)
Early Bird Period: 2025 November 20 – 2026 January 15 (23:59 CET)
Regular Period: 2026 January 20 – 2026 April 30 (23:59 CET)
Last Call Period: 2026 May 5 –2026 May 31 (23:59 CET)
These distinct periods allow applicants the flexibility to submit their applications at their convenience. All applicants within each period have an equal chance of gaining admission to the programme.
After each application deadline, the Admission Board reviews the applications. After the admission interview, applicants are informed of the selection outcome through the online application system within approximately one month after the admission interview. If the offer is accepted, admission letters are sent out through the online application system as soon as possible, as specified in the offer decision.
Applicants with a full application package will be notified after the application deadline about the exact time and date of application interviews conducted via Ms Teams. Applicants are responsible for having technically suitable conditions for the interview from their side
Applicants are expected to be prepared taking questions regarding the compulsory admission materials (see: Recommended readings for the entrance exam) from the side of admission committee composed of a professor, a lecturer and a student representative.
Based on the results, certain students may be placed on a waiting list. Final results are expected by the first half of August.
Type of entrance examination: Oral
Place of entrance examination: Online
Further details of the entrance exam
During the interview, applicants will have a discussion on the following topics:
What are the major challenges for your country’s health care system in the next 10 years?
What are the social and policy contexts of those challenges?
What could be the role of economic analysis in improving the health care in your country?
Further details of selection and evaluation:
Applicants with a full application package will be asked to participate in an oral entrance exam. The institutional admission scores are based on a total evaluation of academic excellence (based on the submitted documents) and the results of the entrance exam. The entrance exam seeks to assess the general and professional knowledge and interest of the applicant.
A successful oral entrance exam is the prerequisite of getting admitted. If the applicant fails the oral entrance exam, the application will be rejected.
Contacts
International Office, Faculty of Social Sciences
TEL: +36-1-372-2500/6779
E-mail: international@tatk.elte.hu
More information
Faculty Website
Facebook page of the Faculty of Social Sciences
Zsófia KOLLÁNYI, PhD and Péter RÓZSA, PhD
Co-Directors of the MSc Program
Find the structure of the program on this link.